Armed With Sword, Army Vet Travels To NYC In Search Of Black Man To Kill: Police

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — James Jackson, a white Army veteran intent on killing a black person with a sword, traveled by bus from Baltimore to New York City because he calculated "the media capital of the world" was his best bet at drawing proper attention to such a crime, police said.

After choosing a 66-year-old homeless man as his victim Monday night, Jackson stabbed him with a 26-inch sword with an 18-inch blade, police said.

Jackson then tossed the sword in a trash can, washed the blood off his hands in a restaurant, and went on his way police said.

Police relaesed an image Tuesday of the suspect wearing a black coat and walking away from the scene of the stabbing. Around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Jackson had turned himself in to officers stationed on Times Square.

Jackson, police said, had been in New York since March 17.

“It is believed he was specifically intending to target male blacks. It’s been well over 10 years that he has been harboring his hate towards blacks,” NYPD Assistant Chief William Aubrey said during a Wednesday press conference.

Aubrey said that Jackson chose to come to New York, "the media capital of the world," to "make a statement."

The victim survived the initial stabbing and was able to walk into the Midtown South Precinct station house on West 35th Street while suffering from wounds to his back and chest, police said. EMS responders transported the man from the precinct to Bellevue hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito released a statement connecting Jackson's arrest with a rise in hate crimes following the campaign that led to the election of President Donald Trump.

Hate crimes have increased in nine metropolitan areas since the campaign, and New York has reported the largest number — 380, a 24 percent increase from 2015, according to Brian Levin, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

"The arrest of James Harris Jackson, a white supremacist who reportedly traveled to New York City intent on ‘murdering black people’ is deeply disturbing and indicative of a greater divide in our country which Donald Trump has only made worse," Mark-Viverito said in a statement.

"There is simply no place for hate or intolerance in our City. The Council will continue to work around the clock in close partnership with the NYPD, public safety officials and the Administration as we keep New York City safe, welcoming and secure for all those who live here."

Levin said his research indicates that by highlighting issues such as race, religion and national origin, the presidential election campaign could have influenced both the number of incidents and frequency of reporting them to police.

"That, coupled with significant coverage, might have encouraged two things to happen: Individuals who vary in motivation, from hardcore bigots to those just seeking a thrill, seeking something to do, as well as victims who felt that they should report this because they're not alone," Levin told The New York Times.

Photo by NYPD